Southport man tells the Visiter of his research on a war time hero, Sergeant Major Miller Smith

HOW is Southport linked to the execution of a Sergeant Major under Hitler’s Commando Order?

Ainsdale man Bev Gregory has recently been exploring the connection, with the historical trail of Operation Musketoon and Sergeant Major Miller Smith.

Bev said: “A chance finding of a book led me to pursue the history of the gentleman.

“This time the character was not a native of Southport but had served on the Southport police force and a photo of his ‘In Memoriam’ in a history of the Southport Country Borough Police 1870 to 1969 got me curious.”

Bev added: “Miller’s surname was first registered as Brown after his father, and he seemed to have adopted the name of his mother, Smith, at a later date.

“He was born in Middlesbrough on November 2 1915.

“At the tender age of 14, young Smith had gone to sea as a pantry boy and had worked his way up to assistant chief steward.

“Soon after he left the Merchant Navy and joined the Coldstream Guards and completed four years with them.

“It was then that he joined the Southport Police Force and served from about 1936, and remained with them until the outbreak of war, when the Guards recalled him.

“He then joined Number 2 Special Services Commando.”

Sergeant Major Miller Smith was involved in Operation Musketoon, Glomfjord, September 1942.

During the mission, Smith and his fellow commanders were captured by the Germans.

They were then lodged in Trondheim Prison, before being sent to a Gestapo prison in Oslo and being put aboard the SS Donau ship.

Bev said: “The food was non -existent on the ship, but Smith was able to bribe a German and the five were able to eat and keep up there spirits.

“The ship arrived at Aalborg, Denmark, on Sunday October 5. “All seven were handed from the fairly safe hands of General von Frankenhorst and the German Army, to General Westhoff.

“They soon arrived at Coldirz Castle in Saxony. Very few prisoners knew of their arrival, but some contact was made with others in the camp and London was duly informed.

“On October 13, the seven Commandos were taken to RSHA. (Reich Central Security Headquarters) at the infamous 8 Prinz Albrecht Strasse in Berlin. “We will never know what happened to Miller Smith and his friends under the supervision of SS Obergruppenfuhrer Heinrich Mueller or Abedin Bekir, as he was known later in 1964 in East Germany.

“On the morning of October 22 1942 they were taken to Sachsenhausen civilian Concentration camp on the outskirts of Berlin.

“And on the morning of October 23 just before dawn they were taken out under SD command. “Each commando was killed by a shot to the back of the neck.

“Their bodies were cremated 42 days after they left Scotland on their Mission.

“No one in the Concentration camp, either guards or prisoners knew of their existence.

“Smith’s family were told that the commandos had escaped and were missing, and it wasn’t until September 7 1945, three years later, that the families were informed of the deaths of their loved ones and the truth finally came out.”

Miller Smith and group were the first Commandos to be executed on Hitler’s Commando Order.

Bev added: “I would like to thank Kate McNichol of Force Records at Merseyside Police for her help in researching Miller Smith’s police career.”